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Hawaii
THERE is talk of extending June Jones contract as coach of the UH Rainbow football team. Jones is such a golf nut, that if they threw in a membership at Waialae, he'd probably sign up for life. But while Jones transformed the boys from Manoa from the team with the worst record in the WAC to co-winner and bowl victor, the Hawaii Elections Project HEP from
Worst to Bestthinks they can do him one better. Toni Worst was the head of HEP, a campaign finance reform group, until she resigned last July. Rep. Brian Schatz took over, but now feels he must step down to devote full attention to his 2000 state legislature duties. So taking over as exec director of HEP is Will Best. From Worst to Best in just six months -- it took Coach Jones a full year to accomplish the same feat ...
YOU no doubt read about Whitney Houston and hubby Bobby Brown one-upping Diana Ross when going through inspection at Kona Airport. Ross was merely incensed on being physically searched at Heathrow Airport in London, but at Kona, when inspectors found some dope in Whitney's bag, Brown might well have said, "Houston, we have a problem." In any case, they left the bag, boarded the plane and returned to the mainland. Now we have to find out if it's true, as Tim Wright insists, that Whitney's new film is called "Waiting to Inhale." ...
Three cheers
WHAT a delightful show Shari Saunders and Karen Woolridge have made of "2 Pianos, 4 Hands," playing through Sunday at the Hawaii Theater. It demands both musical dexterity and comic timing, and is very funny indeed, particularly to those who've been through piano lessons of their own or are parents of one who has. Both women are Canadian and thrilled to be in (relatively) warm Hawaii instead of Toronto. Woolridge's husband rarely joins her on tour, but made an exception when Hawaii popped onto their schedule. And Saunders' father is flying in from Canada and will see her do the show for the first time this weekend. And like Elton John a couple of weeks ago, when Saunders hit a single, distinctive chord during a segment on pop music, you knew it was the opening of "Benny and the Jets." ...DON'T ask Phil Kinnicutt of UH if he's still climbing the ladder of success. In fact, the best left unsaid about ladders the better. That's ever since he learned two verities in life: 1) It is better to write a check than climb a step ladder if you are over 50, and 2) Handicapped parking spaces are worth their weight in gold. He learned both after performing what he now calls a "Stupid Roof Trick," leaving him with a smashed heel bone and broken ankle and not too fond memories of an immobile holiday period. He's now back in his office, but moving gingerly ...
Back to the Mai Tai
AFTER taking nearly two months off from Royal Hawaiian's Mai Tai Bar, Keith Haugen and wife Carmen return Tuesday, Jan. 25. It wasn't just a long holiday vacation -- Haugen underwent open heart surgery and is only now strong enough to resume singing after his longest absence from entertaining in a quarter century. The two perform there Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. ... On Saturday, friends of Ron Daugherty, former owner of O'Toole's downtown, will gather there at 1 p.m. to celebrate his colorful life following a scattering of his ashes off Waikiki. Daugherty died of cancer of the liver on Saturday ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
His columns run Monday through Friday.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com